The Coalition government released publicly the anticipated 134-page strategic review into the state of the national broadband network and recommendations for going forward. Here are the key points:

Labor’s NBN, revised financials

Labor’s fibre to the home NBN would be completed in June 2024, not December 2021

It would require $72.9 billion in peak funding instead of $44.1 billion. This includes an extra $18.5 billion in capital expenditure, $5.4 billion in operational costs and $7.5 billion in interest.

Most of the extra funding would come from additional debt funding, but the review said this would be impossible without a government guarantee.

NBN Co is set to pass 357,000 existing homes and businesses with fibre connections by June next year

The fixed wireless and satellite programs would blow out from $3.2 billion to $5.6 billion. These components will be kept under the Coalition governments and will be part of a separate review.

Revised NBN

NBN Co will opt for an “optimised multi-technology mix" of fibre to the home, fibre to the node, cable broadband, fixed wireless and satellite

It recommends about 26 per cent of homes will receive fibre to the home, 44 per cent will receive fibre to the node, and 30 per cent will receive cable broadband. These numbers could change, pending a cost-benefit analysis due next year.

The revised project would cost $33 billion in capital expenditure and $41 billion in peak funding; similar to Labor’s financial estimates.

However, the Coalition’s promise to provide 25 Mbps to Australian homes and businesses by 2016 will not be achieved.
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